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jaz_gets_literary's reviews
258 reviews
Only For The Week by Natasha Bishop
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol
Take a Chance by Miyeko May
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was such a cute and fun read. Trey’s family owns Wonderland Bookstore which is in need of help to prevent it from closing. Ariel needs a job to save money to get in the art school of her dreams. She ends up in Wonderland as her part time job and gives Trey ideas that they could use to try to raise the money that Wonderland needs.
It might have just turned to Fall but this winter YA romance got me in the mood for Christmas. It was so much more than just a romance. A journey of Ariel coming into herself, a little love triangle action, complicated friendship dynamics. All the high school things. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to more from this author.
It might have just turned to Fall but this winter YA romance got me in the mood for Christmas. It was so much more than just a romance. A journey of Ariel coming into herself, a little love triangle action, complicated friendship dynamics. All the high school things. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming
A Crown So Cursed by L.L. McKinney
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The long awaited finale to the Nightmare-Verse series. I was so excited for this book to come out. I love book retellings where the story has little bursts of the original but has its own story and this was just that. Alice in Wonderland being one of my favorite stories growing up this series was right up my alley. It was a good conclusion conclusion to the trilogy. I will definitely read more from this author.
The long awaited finale to the Nightmare-Verse series. I was so excited for this book to come out. I love book retellings where the story has little bursts of the original but has its own story and this was just that. Alice in Wonderland being one of my favorite stories growing up this series was right up my alley. It was a good conclusion conclusion to the trilogy. I will definitely read more from this author.
Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I’ve been wanting to read this since I saw the cover. I was so excited when I saw it in my local library. Instant grab. The illustrations are absolutely amazing. The attention to details. The way the curls are in the hair, the different body types, the clothes, all the small little details made this book for me. The book follows a group of 4 friends. Each has their own short story and the last story is them coming together. I’m the end I felt like I wanted more. I know these are very short stories/ graphic novel but I feel like the story line for a couple of the friends could have been more in depth. While I really enjoyed the artwork, there were a few pages with just art that I feel could have been used to expand on the storyline. Overall I liked the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content
A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed the second book in the Nightmare-Verse series. Since the first book ended on a cliff hanger, I jumped right into the second book because I had to know what happened next. While the first book only had the main character Alice’s POV this book had multiple point of views. It was a nice surprise from the first book and it was easy to keep up with the differing viewpoints.I listened to the audiobook of this and was pleasantly surprised with the different voice actors for the POVs. I enjoyed the story and where it went in this book. This one didn’t end on a cliff hanger so I look forward to seeing where the 3rd book takes us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Car accident, and Self harm
Moderate: Infidelity and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Suicide
Something Bleu: Potomac Falls Book One by K.L. Hall
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I didn’t see that twist at the end until it slapped me in the face. Just know it ends on a cliff hanger so on to the next book in the series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy
Sugar, Sugar by Lady Marie
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Short, sweet, sexy. To the point. Quick read. I would love to see more about these two to see if their relationship progresses and if that ex pops back up with mess lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you to HearOurVoices Tours, NetGalley, and the publisher for the copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Blade So Black is the urban fantasy retelling of Alice In Wonderland that I needed as a teen. Alice is on her way to a Con that she was supposed to be going to with her dad but he’s gone. She’s all in her head on the way to the Con when a terrifying creature, called a Nightmare, attacks her her. She’s saved by a mysterious man who turns into her mentor. Her mentor teaches her about the Nightmares and trains her to kill them. While is apart of a small group of people trained to kill the Nightmares, she’s also a normal teen at home. A teen trying to balance her best friend, her feelings towards two different guys, and an overprotective mother. Her mother has every right to be protective when a young Black girl was just killed by police in their neighborhood and Alice starts staying out and not checking in with her. Alice thinks she’s found a way to balance her real life in Atlanta and her life in Wonderland until her mentor is poisoned and she must return to Wonderland to cure him. There are many obstacles in Wonderland and when her real life and it combine all hell breaks loose.
I book kept me on my toes. I was throughly engrossed in it the entire time. Alice is just a normal Black teenager dealing with the challenges that life throws you when she’s thrown into a completely different world with more challenges to deal with. While it did cover heavier topics such as police brutality and death of a loved one, it wasn’t the entire focus of the story. I know those topics can be too much for some people so it was good to see them added to the story in a way that was essential to the storyline but not the sole focus. It contains all the original characters of the story and I love the way the author made them different but still the same. This book is apart of a trilogy and does end in a cliffhanger so I diving right into the second book. I must know what happens next.
A Blade So Black is the urban fantasy retelling of Alice In Wonderland that I needed as a teen. Alice is on her way to a Con that she was supposed to be going to with her dad but he’s gone. She’s all in her head on the way to the Con when a terrifying creature, called a Nightmare, attacks her her. She’s saved by a mysterious man who turns into her mentor. Her mentor teaches her about the Nightmares and trains her to kill them. While is apart of a small group of people trained to kill the Nightmares, she’s also a normal teen at home. A teen trying to balance her best friend, her feelings towards two different guys, and an overprotective mother. Her mother has every right to be protective when a young Black girl was just killed by police in their neighborhood and Alice starts staying out and not checking in with her. Alice thinks she’s found a way to balance her real life in Atlanta and her life in Wonderland until her mentor is poisoned and she must return to Wonderland to cure him. There are many obstacles in Wonderland and when her real life and it combine all hell breaks loose.
I book kept me on my toes. I was throughly engrossed in it the entire time. Alice is just a normal Black teenager dealing with the challenges that life throws you when she’s thrown into a completely different world with more challenges to deal with. While it did cover heavier topics such as police brutality and death of a loved one, it wasn’t the entire focus of the story. I know those topics can be too much for some people so it was good to see them added to the story in a way that was essential to the storyline but not the sole focus. It contains all the original characters of the story and I love the way the author made them different but still the same. This book is apart of a trilogy and does end in a cliffhanger so I diving right into the second book. I must know what happens next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Police brutality
Minor: Grief